DTC 208: Introduction to Digital Cinema

Week 7: Storyboards & Pre-visualization

To Do This Week

Module Notes

Visual Storytelling Primer

Why Storyboards?

Key Concepts

In-Class Script, Storyboard & Moodboard Exercises

1. Enter the Story World: Close your eyes and wander through your story world. Notice colors, textures, sounds, and character details. Write or sketch what you discover.

2. Select Core Beats: Choose 3–5 scenes/moments with the strongest emotional or visual power for your story. Reduce your story idea to these essentials. Other shots can be transitional or for elaboration. Is the climax or twist the stronget beat?

3. Shape into Three Parts: Divide into roughly 20% (setup), 50% (development/reversal/twist), 30% (resolution). Write a 2-3 sentence "logline" to describe your story based on this structure.

4. Connect the Parts: Decide how the pace unfolds (fast→slow, slow→fast / montage vs continuity). Explore how the three sections link visually and narratively to reveal a twist or change.

5. "Tell" with Images: For each of your core sequences, think about how blocking (the arrangement of figures in frame), gestures or facial expressions replace dialogue.

6. Rewrite & Minimize Dialogue: Revise your script with images and actions carrying the meaning. Use dialogue only when necessary, never to explain.

7. Storyboard the Shots: Sketch frames with labels, arrows for movement, and sound cues. Think in frames: wide → detail, detail → wide.

8. Build the Moodboard: From your storyboard and script, explore a color palette and production style. Gather film stills and/or AI generated image from descriptions of favorite movies (explore film stock, lens). Capture mood through color, texture, and design elements.

9. Production Style Statement: Write a short description of how your story will look and feel—color palette, lighting, design choices.

Sample Storyboards & Mood Board Resources

Color in Production Design

Pitch Deck (15%)

Script (5%) – completed Oct 3

Storyboard (5%) & Moodboard (5%) – submitted with Script by Oct 17

This is a self-contained project. You will design a short cinematic idea and express it through three complementary pre-production elements: a script, a storyboard, and a mood board. You will not be required edit or shoot this project later; the goal is to practice translating an idea into clear, compelling visual storytelling. Be imaginative and unconstrained by budget while focusing on story structure, cinematic language, and visual design. Each component is worth 5% for a total of 15%.

Group Workshopping & Beat Sheets

Students will begin by discussing story ideas in small groups. Each student will develop a beat sheet—a brief outline of the key beats and emotional turns of their story—and share it with their group for approval and suggestions. Only after receiving group feedback will students write their individual script drafts. Each group will create a Slack channel (with the me included) where drafts of beat sheets and scripts are posted for feedback and suggestions. Storyboards and production design details are created only after group approval of the script.

1. Script (5%)

  • Length: 60–120 seconds (about 1–3 pages).
  • Format: Proper screenplay style (scene headings, action, dialogue).
  • Goal: Demonstrate a clear narrative arc (beginning–middle–end or an alternative but coherent structure), conflict, and resolution, and ideally a twist.
  • Process: Start with a group-approved beat sheet, then write your script individually. Post drafts to your group Slack channel for feedback before finalizing.

2. Hand-Drawn Storyboard (5%)

  • Medium: Pencil/pen sketches or digital drawing (hand-rendered look preferred).
  • Panels: A frame for each planned shot showing composition, angle, and movement. Drawings should be simple but clear.
  • Notes under each frame:
    • Shot type (CU, WS, POV, OTS, etc.).
    • Camera movement (pan, tilt, dolly, handheld, static, etc.).
    • Key sound cues (dialogue, effects, ambience, music) and any timing beats.
  • Goal: Visualize the story shot-by-shot, demonstrating how framing, movement, and editing shape meaning.
  • Timing: Begin your storyboard only after your script has been approved by your group.

3. Mood Board / Production Design (5%)

  • Images: Collect 5–10 images (AI-generated and/or screen grabs) that convey look and feel.
  • Focus: Style, color palette, lighting, settings, costumes, and character design.
  • Notes: Brief description about visual design, mood and overall tone.
  • Timing: Create your mood board after your script has been approved by your group.
  • Goal: Present a cohesive design sense and color palette that communicates the project’s atmosphere and style.

Submission

Your finished project will be submitted as a single zip packageas a Google Slide show with the url to the slidewhow uploaded to Canvas. This package should include:

  • Use Google Slides for all your elements of your Pitch Deck.
  • First page: Title, 2-3 sentence description or logline and the author's name.
  • Screen grabs for the sequential parts or your screenplay-formatted final script - fit so the screenplay can be read inside the slideshow.
  • Digital photos or scans of your storyboard.
  • Images for the production design/mood board elements with a brief description of the style you are aiming for.
  • Optional: share unzipped files url to the slideshow on Slack

Purpose

This assignment builds core skills in conceiving and communicating a cinematic concept—useful for social media videos and traditional film contexts alike. Even though it will not be produced in this class, your pitch deck should read as if it could guide an actual production.

Free Downloadable Storyboard Templates & Sheets

Production Mood Boards

Why: Mood boards help you and your team visualize the tone, style, and emotional atmosphere of your project before production. They align everyone on color palettes, lighting choices, textures, locations, and the overall “feel” of the piece.

How: Collect 5–10 images that best represent your intended mood. You can pull these from the web (films, photography, art, design references) or generate them with AI tools such as ChatGPT image generation or Midjourney. When using AI, make an effort to refine prompts to include specific details about lighting, color, and film stock (e.g., “soft golden-hour lighting, muted pastel color palette, shot on 16mm film”).

What: Assemble the images into a Google Slide show (along with script segments and storyboards), as a sequence or a collage. Provide a brief description of the visual design (lighting, color palette, texture, etc.). Suggested types of images to include: